Full Description
This narrative of U.S. soccer's history and present-day status addresses the issues of socioeconomics. Emphasizing the differences between social classes in U.S. soccer past and present, as well as those between American soccer and international football, this work analyzes the role of class in American soccer's failure to carve out a more prominent place in the sports landscape. Contemporary soccer is explored from its beginnings in informal Parks and Recreation leagues to the development of formal club programs, and university, professional, and U.S. national teams. In recent decades, Hispanic leagues formed primarily by Mexican and Central American immigrants have reinforced the theme of a class-based, exclusionary space in U.S. soccer. A personal perspective based on the authors' experience coaching soccer at the informal level broadens the book's appeal.
Contents
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Preface
Introduction
Section One: A Theoretical Perspective
1. The Pyramid Upside Down
2. Models of the Pyramid Right Side Up
Section Two: Retrospective of U.S. Soccer
3. History of U.S. Soccer: Beginnings
4. History of U.S. Soccer: The Golden Years
5. History of U.S. Soccer: Lost Years, Renewed Hopes
6. History of U.S. Soccer: The Cosmos Years
Section Three: From the Local to the National
7. Soccer Beginnings: The World of Parks and Recreation
8. Youth Development and Club Soccer
9. Appalachian State University Soccer in the National Fabric: A Case Study
10. From Boone to Siler City: Case Studies in Latino Soccer
11. Professional and National Soccer in the United States Today
Conclusion
Afterword: 2014 World Cup
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index
